This invention relates generally to ohmic contact metallization on n-type III-V semiconductors, and in particular to contacts formed on semiconductors containing Ga and As.
A great deal of interest has been generated in the formation of devices and integrated circuits which comprise a III-V semiconductor material. Attention has focused primarily on GaAs which is useful in forming FETs, IMPATT diodes and lasers. Such applications usually require reliable, low resistance ohmic contacts to the semiconductor surface. Typically, present contacting schemes involve depositing a gold-germanium eutectic or tin-based alloy metal film on the surface of GaAs and then heating sufficiently to melt the metal and thereby alloy the metal film with the semiconductor. Such processes produce ohmic contacts adequate for most purposes. However, an important disadvantage is inherent in the melting process, namely, the poor dimensional control of the contact metallization. This lack of dimensional control becomes increasingly significant where only small areas are available for contacting. It is therefore desirable to provide a metallization and process which results in ohmic contacts with well-defined dimensions.